Stella Glow: A Song of the Sea and Stars
by Illindus
Summary: The curtain fell on the stage of Elcrest and Xeno... and yet it doesn't seem like the show has ended... You already saw the two of them succeed did you not? Well, whatever... One thousand years later... There's now a girl who lives in a quiet village, not wishing anything more than that, I wonder what'll happen if life rips that peace from you? What will you do little Witch?
1. Prologue: A Broken Peace (Day One)

**Stella Glow: A Song of the Sea and Stars**

 **PRESS START**

* * *

…

…

…

 _Tick Tock…_

 _Tick tock…_

 _Oh, now that's strange isn't it…_

 _That clock stopped turning a while ago._

 _Tick tock…_

 _Tick Tock…_

 _It's been left to rust._

 _And yet, it feels like the gears have started to move again._

 _Tick tock…_

 _Tick tock…_

 _Don't you think so?_

 _I wonder…_

 _Even after_ _they_ _succeeded…_

 _Could it be that something starts after that?_

 _Tick tock._

 _Tick tock._

 _Well… Let's start this again, shall we?_

 _Except this time, let's start…_

 _This story that isn't yours at all._

 _Tick tock…_

 _Tick tock…_

 _The countdown on the screen in that empty theater ends, and the screen fades in._

 _To the story of the Sea and the Stars._

* * *

 **Prologue: Shattered Peace**

 **Day 1**

"Alright, lemme see…" Lisette muttered as she flipped through a book of stories, "Yep, everything's here…" she shut the book, and tucked it beneath her arm, and stood up. She dusted off the front of her dress, and walked to her door before stopping.

Lisette turned around and grabbed the necklace on her bedside table. Attached to it was a semicircular gemstone that seemed to reflect all kinds of colors even in the pitch black room. "Ehe… Almost forgot about you," She quietly said before putting it around her neck.

She walked out of her room into the hallway. From there she walked into the kitchen where her mother, Rosa, was sitting at the table. Rosa looked over to where Lisette was standing.

"You're up early," Rosa said, "I haven't had time to make breakfast for you yet, is something happening?"

"No, no," Lisette shook her head, a smile written on her face. "Yesterday, some kids asked me if I could tell them some stories today. We promised to meet up around now," Lisette started to walk toward the exit, her footsteps echoing through the quiet small house, "I'm off."

"Have a safe trip. Just don't be out too long," Rosa said, "I have to make something for you to eat after all."

Lisette turned around and smiled at her mother, "Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I finish," She turned back around and opened the door.

Lisette squinted as she opened the door, the early morning sunlight getting in her eyes. She put her hand up, blocking the sun from her vision as she let her eyes adjust to the outdoor light. It was still slightly dark outside, the day was still very young. She walked out into the cool morning.

The village was quiet as she passed through its empty streets. Well, quiet in comparison to how it normally was, which wasn't really much louder. Lisette walked briskly to the town square, listening to the cricket chirps, the quiet rustling of leaves in the distance, the soft crunch of the grass as her feet passed over it, and she felt the cold breeze pass over her.

It was… peaceful.

Lisette walked into the town square, "I'm here!" She said, waving to the kids waiting in the square.

"So," Lisette said sitting down on the ground on the picnic mat that the kids had set up. She opened the story book she had brought and laid it out in front of her, "Which story do you want to hear today?"

"I wanna hear the story about the Hero Elcrest and King Xeno again!" Three of the kids said in sync, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Heheh," Lisette flipped the book open to a page with a drawing of two figures, one holding a sword, the other holding a spear, "You all always ask for this one…"

Lisette cleared her throat, "The story of the Hero Elcrest and King Xeno…

"Once upon a time, there was a god that lived on the moon. People worshipped this god, not out of respect, but out of fear. The god often sent many angels to punish the people. This went on for years, until two children, Elcrest and Xeno, decided to stand up. With their allies, they went up to where god resided, the moon."

Lisette turned the page, on the new page, there was a picture of a chaotic battle. People fighting angels, as Elcrest and Xeno made their way toward the god. "After an arduous battle, Elcrest and Xeno finally met the god. They had planned to destroy her, and let the people live freely in the future. However, right before they destroyed her, Elcrest realized something…"

Lisette turned the page, revealing a picture of Elcrest hugging the figure of the god, "Elcrest realized that the god was hurting, after she had listened to all the pleading of the people, all of the despair had lead the god to the conclusion that the only way to save humanity was to kill them. Elcrest comforted the god, telling her that that wasn't the only way that humanity could be saved."

"However, due to the battle that had been raging on the moon, the moon had started to fall apart. The god realized this, and she stayed behind on the moon, as the rest of the people left, believing in the potential of humanity, the god used her powers to continue to hold the moon together, so that humanity could continue to live on. It is said that, on a clear night, if you just listen, you can hear her song that she sings to hold the moon together."

Lisette turned the page again, the illustration was of a celebration in a kingdom, "After they returned, Xeno founded the kingdom of Regnant, becoming the first king of our kingdom. He is said to have been a very kind king, who cared dearly about his people. And Elcrest…"

Lisette sighed, she turned the page of the book, to the final page of the story. The illustration on it was of Elcrest slowly walking out into the distance, "Despite being regarded as a hero everywhere, with a name known throughout the kingdom, Elcrest disappeared, never to be heard from again. The end."

Lisette closed the book and looked at the kids with a smile.

"Aww, that's the end?" a small redheaded girl asked, a look of disappointment on her face.

"Oh, you haven't heard this story before?" Lisette looked at the girl, her warm gaze meeting the girl's eyes, "Nobody really knows what happened, whether Elcrest settled down somewhere quiet, or started another journey."

"Awww…" The girl looked to the ground, a dejected expression on her face, "I wanted to hear more about Elcrest."

Lisette patted the girl on the head, ruffling her hair as she did. Then, picked up her storybook and tucked it beneath her arm, "Well, that's it for today, maybe tomorrow we can meet up again, I'll tell you a different story," Lisette said, she waving goodbye to them as she walked down the street.

* * *

"I'm home," Lisette said, as she walked through the door, back into her house.

"Oh?" Rosa set the plate she was holding down onto the countertop beside the stove, and turned around to face her daughter. With a smile on her face she said, "You're back early."

"Eheheh, told you I'd be back as soon as I finished, didn't I?" Lisette walked over to the table, setting her book down on it, "Mind if I help out?"

"No, not at all," Rosa said, as Lisette walked back over to the countertop where her mother was preparing food at, "You can help make the eggs."

"Alright!" Lisette grabbed the eggs, before cracking them into a pan over the stove. The eggs sizzled against the heat of the pan as they cooked.

Rosa brought the plate back to the table, placing it onto the table and sitting down, "You _are_ making them how I taught you right?"

"I am mom," Lisette said, as she moved the eggs a bit in the pan.

"Just making sure," Rosa said as she grabbed a piece of bread.

"Aaaand, finished," Lisette said as she placed the eggs on the plate, and she made a disappointed sigh.

"It happened again didn't it," Rosa said as Lisette brought the eggs over to the table.

"Yeah…" Lisette sighed again, "I don't know why this keeps happening."

The eggs Lisette had made looked perfect, except for the fact that… they were purple.

"I mean…" Rosa moved one of them onto her toast, and ate it, "The taste is fine, it's just the color, and you have been making them how I told you to."

Lisette just sighed in response, and ate her toast.

"Anyway, how was the meeting?"

"Good!" Lisette said, smiling, "There was a kid who didn't know the story of The Hero Elcrest and King Xeno there."

"Oh, there was?" Rosa's eyes widened in surprise, "I didn't know there was anyone who didn't."

"I was surprised too…" Lisette said, taking another bite of the toast, "Maybe her parents just hadn't told her yet."

The two continued their conversation a little after this, just talking about trivial things, things that happened days before, as well as plans for the future.

Lisette glanced out the window, the sun was just over the horizon, though it was still dark, "The flower stall should open around now," Lisette said quietly, before standing up, and starting to walk towards the door.

"Oh, yeah it looks around that time," Rosa said, glancing out the window, "Have a safe trip."

"Thanks," Lisette said. The door creaked quietly as she opened it, "I'll be right back."

She walked back through the village. She walked past the rows of houses on her way back, their lights slowly starting to turn on as she passed. The village was starting to wake up now. People opening their windows, others walking past her in the streets, just getting their day started.

Lisette turned and began walking towards the flower stall.

"How much for one rose?" She asked the shopkeeper, her hair fluttering in the cold breeze.

"5G please," The shopkeeper said, "You know, the price isn't changing anytime soon, you don't have to ask every time."

"Well, it's always good to ask, isn't it?" Lisette smiled, "You know, just in case."

Lisette reached a hand into her pocket, and pulled out a handful of coins, "One… two… three, four, five." She put the rest back in her pocket.

"One rose please," she said, putting the coins on the table.

"Here you go Miss Lisette," The shopkeeper said, handing Lisette a rose.

"Thanks," Lisette said, brushing her hand through her hair, before grabbing the rose.

"You're welcome."

Lisette walked back through the village. There were more people outside, the buzz of conversation now permeating throughout the street. She passed by familiar face after familiar face as she walked. She held the rose tightly in her hand, holding it in front of her face and examining it as she did. Lisette then turned left, into a path up a small incline, without many people walking on it.

Her shoes crunching against the dirt on the ground as she walked through. She eventually reached the end of the road, and she walked into the graveyard just beyond.

Lisette walked over to a grave. She leaned over, and placed the rose on it. She took a step backward, her expression a melancholic one.

"...Thank you…" Lisette said quietly, before she turned around and walked out of the graveyard.

She walked slowly through the village, heading back to her house. She passing by people she knew on the street, waving hello to them as she passed, hearing kind replies of good morning back to her.

"Hey, Lisette!" Lisette stopped, she turned around to face the small girl behind her.

She crouched down so that she was eye level with the girl, "What is it Mina?"

"Mom wanted me to ask you to gather herbs for us!" Mina said.

"Huh? What brought this on?" Lisette asked, confusion evident in her face at the sudden request.

Mina smiled widely, closing her eyes as she did, "Mom said that the queen is coming to the Mithra!"

"Oh oka—" Lisette stopped, her eyes widening in shock as the words registered in her mind, "Wait, the queen!?"

"Yeah yeah," Mina nodded with each yeah.

"B-but why me?" Lisette asked, she nervously tapped her hands together.

"Ummm," Mina put her hand to her chin, "Uhh, mom said you were the person with the best eye for herbs."

Lisette sighed, "Alright…" She said, ruffling Mina's hair, "I'll get the herbs."

* * *

The herbs grew in a place a little ways away from the village, in a small wooded area with a river running through the middle. Lisette crouched down next to the riverside, pulling out the herbs from their place in the ground. Beside her was a stick she had found earlier… Well it was more like a small branch rather than a stick. She had seen it when she went into the forest and thought it'd be good to take along, just in case she needed to defend herself.

Lisette dusted the dirt off from the herb she had just pulled out of the ground. She made a humming noise as she dusted it off, and examined it.

"Hmmm… Yep looks good," Lisette said, putting it into the basket she brought along. Lisette looked at the herbs she had gathered in her basket and nodded, "Okay that looks like enough, now time to get back…"

There was a sudden sound of rustling grass behind her. Lisette quickly grabbed the stick she had set next to herself earlier. She slowly turned around.

And she was face to face with three large wolves.

* * *

 **Victory Conditions: Survive.**

 **Defeat Conditions: Lisette is defeated.**

 **Mission Start**

* * *

' _Crap,'_ Lisette thought, as she gripped the stick tightly in both hands.

In one fluid movement a wolf crouched downward, and then jumped at Lisette. Lisette quickly jumped to the right, narrowly avoiding its attack. She clumsily thrust her stick forward hit the wolf as it flew past her. And it went crashing into the ground.

The wolf rose to its feet and angrily turned around, growling as it did. It then lunged at Lisette, mouth wide open and teeth bared.

Lisette quickly shoved her stick out in front of her, and the wolf bit down on it, then quickly jerked its head to the right, throwing Lisette onto the ground.

Then, it pounced onto Lisette, pinning her to the ground, as the other wolves moved to surround her. She continued to struggle against the first, not realizing that her escape was being cut off.

The wolf pushed downward, gnawing on the stick she was holding, causing her to wince in pain.

Lisette violently kicked at the underbelly of the wolf as hard as she could. She kicked and she kicked and she kicked.

It didn't even flinch.

Pulling it as hard as she could, Lisette desperately tried to drag her stick out from its mouth.

But it was held firm in the beasts jaws.

' _... So this is it.'_ Lisette closed her eyes, and her body relaxed as she resigned herself to her fate.

 _-And the clock starts turning anew-_

Lisette suddenly felt the weight on her shoulders disappear. She slowly opened her eyes and saw:

Nothing.

There was nothing on her.

Lisette sat up. In front of her there were two of the wolves hunched over, looking ready to pounce any moment. And yet, they didn't pounce on her. In fact, they were growling.

Lisette's eyes widened in realization. Weren't there… Three wolves?

Was there… something behind her?

She slowly turned around, and saw it. A strange liquid-like substance wrapped around the wolf and it… It began to…

What the heck?!

It _went into the wolf._ The liquid forced itself through the wolf's mouth… Its eyes. Its ears. Even its skin. The wolf tried to howl in pain. Its eyes widened. It fell over, writhing in pain as the liquid forced its way into its body.

Then the liquid disappeared from the wolf's body. And there was silence. Then the wolf jolted up. The way it suddenly stood up just felt wrong. It was almost as if the wolf was a puppet that had violently been picked up by its strings.

And then the wolf changed. The horrible sound of its skin tearing as bones burst through it. A strange red color began to bleed into its eyes. Its fangs grew longer, keeping its mouth opened just slightly.

She needed to get out of here. Right now. But how?

The wolf crouched down.

And it lunged.

Lisette close her eyes, and dove to the right.

She had dodged it just in time. She opened her eyes, and glanced to her left. There it was. Lisette quickly sighed in relief. It's attention was for now focused on the other two wolves. All she needed to do now was get away.

* * *

 **MISSION CLEAR**

* * *

"I'm telling you that's really what happened!" Lisette said, setting down the basket of herbs.

"I'm sure it was," She heard Mina's mother say. The way she said it made it sound dismissive. Though, it probably wasn't a good idea to cause a scene. Afterall, she'd spent the whole day trying to tell a lot of people about it to no avail. "And are those the herbs for the queen?"

"Yes!" Lisette said proudly, "I got the best ones I could find."

"Alright good work… You should get some rest," Mina's mother said, "I'm sure you're tired from running all the way back here, got into a fight with some wolves was it?"

"Yeah…" Lisette paused thinking back to the fight… Just what had happened to that wolf? Was that even real? "I should go home for now."

Lisette opened the door of the inn. The evening breeze blew by her as she left the inn. It really was evening huh… The day had just passed her by completely. She walked through the dirt roads, hearing the crunching of the earth as she passed.

She opened the door of her house, "I'm home…"

"Welcome back," Rosa said, "What happened? You took a longer time than usual to get back."

"I was asked to gather some herbs in the forest," Lisette yawned, "Apparently the queen is coming soon."

"Hoh… Well hopefully she enjoys her stay here, what's she coming for?"

Lisette paused, "Uh… I don't know. All I know is that she's coming."

"Well," Rosa said turning back around, "Dinner's ready, let's eat."

"Alright!"

* * *

Lisette lay on her bed, her laying by her sides. Today had been… eventful. It felt like just a few minutes ago when she was telling the story to those kids… She still was worried about the incident with the wolf… but it didn't seem like people in the town really believed what she said about it… Heck at this point she wasn't even sure if it was real…

"Whatever…" Lisette mumbled turning around in her bed. She was probably just tired… She brought her hands up and clenched her pendant tightly in her hands as she slowly let her mind flow into the world of dreams.

* * *

The sound of horse hooves echoed throughout the quiet forest. A lone carriage drove through the forest. The darkness of the night illuminated only by the lantern the driver held. Inside the carriage was a single woman with shoulder length blond hair. She wore a mostly black, somewhat revealing, outfit and had a pointed hat utop her head.

She was closing her eyes, so if one were to glance they might think her asleep. However, upon closer inspection it was clear that she wasn't… She was listening.

"Stop here," The woman said. Her voice was around mid-pitch and felt subdued...And yet it was commanding, "There's something out there."

The man stopped the carriage, and put a hand on his axe. The man jumped down, walking back to the door to the carriage and opening it. The woman grabbed her spear and got down.

"You wait here, we need someone to guard the carriage." The woman said.

"Roger," The man said, "Though I suppose you'll need this won't you?" He said taking the lantern down from the carriage.

"Thank you," The woman said, taking the lantern the man handed her. She slowly began walking in the direction of the noise she had heard. The light from the lantern illuminated three animal-like silhouettes in the distance. The woman squinted, straining her eyes for a better view.

The silhouettes edged closer, until they were just in the light of her lantern.

"I knew it…" She said quietly, putting the lantern on her belt. She gripped her spear in both hands, "They're here as well…"

There were three wolves, each with spikes of bone protruding from their bodies, and blood red eyes…


	2. Prologue: A Broken Peace (Day Two)

_She heard the sound of rushing water all around her._

 _It wasn't a pleasant sound… it was more like the sound of rushing rapids, rather than a flowing stream._

 _The sound of something being taken, lost, to those rapids._

 _She stood in a clearing in the middle of a dense forest… And in the middle of that clearing there was an enormous temple._

 _The temple, albeit impressive, had been left in disrepair… Vines covered the crumbling architecture, weaving in and out of it. The stone brick it was made of had long gashes running through them. Its once pure white architecture was now more of a dirty gray color, punctuated by the plants that had started to overtake it._

 _It was a strange place, abandoned to all time, just left here…_

 _And it was foreboding…It was a place she never wanted to go into._

 _What kind of person had built it… What was it for? She wondered._

 _Then, the earth began to shake… The decrepit temple began to collapse. The supports cracked before collapsing in on their own weight…_

 _She heard a scream in the distance…_

* * *

 **Prologue: A Broken Peace**

 **Day Two**

* * *

Lisette awoke in a cold sweat. Thump. Thump. Thump. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

She took a deep breath. Then another. Then another. What was this… That dream…

Lisette shook her head. Her heart was still racing… She should get a drink. Yeah that would help her calm down. Just a nice cold drink of water.

Lisette slowly crept out of her bed. Then she made her way to the door. The door's creaking echoed throughout the silent home. Lisette crept through the hallway, making her way to the kitchen. She could hear the floorboards softly creak as she did.

Eventually she got to the kitchen. There wasn't anyone here.

Oh… It was still night wasn't it… Or at least early morning.

Her mom wasn't awake yet.

Lisette sighed, pouring herself a glass of water. She probably needed to go back to sleep…

It was then she heard a sound.

It was a sound she didn't know how to describe… She didn't have the words to do so. It sounded like the a person's voice but… There was something different about it. It flowed like water rushing down a river. It was a noise that sounded like it was straight from the heavens… A beautiful sound that couldn't be described… And yet there was something about it that she couldn't quite place… there was a certain feeling about it…

It was sad… A very sad sound… Her heart felt like it was going to split in two just from listening to it.

Lisette quickly downed her water, and set the glass back down on the table. She needed to find where the sound was coming from.

She moved almost in a trance. She walked out of her house and through the village… The darkness of the night shrouded the houses… It made them feel almost unwelcoming, and foreboding, as if there was something lurking there just in the shadows. Lisette continued walking. She needed to find the source of that sound.

She was at the outskirts of the village now. She stood, looking into the entrance of the dark forest in front of her. There was a sudden gust of the cold nighttime wind. Lisette shivered. There was something about the forest at night that looked… Off. She took a deep breath.

And walked into the forest.

Slowly the village began to disappear behind her, as she ventured deeper into the forest. She could barely hear the rustling of the grass beneath her feet. The only noise she heard was the sound that she was trying to find.

Eventually the trees parted, revealing a clearing.

It wasn't a place she hadn't been before… In fact this was a place she knew well. Sometimes she'd just come here to be alone, to take time away from the village and just be by herself…

It was a kind place. On a good day, when the weather was clear you could hear the bird chirping, see the sunbeams come through the trees making the world look so, so bright. It would reflect off the surface of the lake, radiating so many beautiful colors. You could feel the breeze blow through the woods across your skin, and you could just relax here.

But she had never seen it at night.

Even though it was the dead of night, the lake seemed to illuminate its surroundings… It felt unnatural, like the light was coming from another source. The surrounding forest was pitch black, the darkness flowing through the trees as far as the eye could see… And yet, somehow it didn't feel ominous. It still felt comforting, peaceful even. It was… Strange.

And then she saw her. There was a girl standing in the middle of the lake. She had long blond hair that ended just below her shoulders, and a fancy black dress with some intricate designs sewn into it with a silver thread. On her back she had a long, flowing silver cape, and she wore a tall pointed hat on her head.

She was standing in front of a strange formation of crystals that Lisette hadn't seen before, and she was gripping onto an oddly-shaped staff protruding from the crystals in front of her.

The sound stopped.

Silence fell upon the clearing.

Lisette stared at the girl in front of her. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest. She took a deep breath.

"Hey," Lisette said, her voice cut through the stark silence that had fallen over the lake, "That sound… Was it coming from you?"

"...Yes…" The girl responded in a quiet voice.

"What was that?"

"That was..." The girl paused. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the clearing, as she pulled her spear out from the crystals. She turned around, her cape fluttering behind her. She stared at Lisette with her teal eyes, looking long and hard at her. And then she uttered a single word, "A song."

"A song…" Lisette repeated, her eyes slowly widening in realization, "That means you're a…"

"Yes," A small gust of wind blew past the girl, causing her golden hair to flow in the breeze, "I am a Witch."

There was another pause as the two girls stared at one another. Neither seemed to want to say another word as they looked at each other.

Then, the girl spoke, "That pendant… Where did you get it?"

"...Eh?" It took a moment for the words to register in Lisette's head, "Oh…" She took off her necklace and held it in her hand, looking at the clear gem attached to it, "...I got it from a friend."

"May I see it?" The Witch asked, before she made her way over to where Lisette stood.

Lisette felt her body tense up, "Do you promise to give it back?"

"Yes… I just would like to look at it."

"...Do you really mean that?" She clutched the pendant tightly in her hand.

"Yes…" The girl looked hard into Lisette's eyes, "I promise."

"Alright…" Lisette relaxed slightly, "As long as you keep that promise."

The girl extended her hand, and Lisette held her's above it. She paused. And then she let go. The pendant fell into the girl's open hand.

The girl carefully inspected the pendant. She held it by the string, letting the gem dangle in front of her eyes. Little flecks of light speckled her skin. The girl lowered her hand.

"I guess I was wrong then…" She whispered, shaking her head slightly.

Lisette tilted her head sightly, "Hmm?"

"You can have this back now," The Witch said, handing Lisette her pendant.

"Thank you…" Lisette put the pendant back on.

"What for?"

"For giving it back…"

Another moment of silence passed over the two girls.

"Um…" It was Lisette's voice that cut through the silence, "What brings you here? It's weird to see someone outside at this time of night, especially around here."

"Oh… I was on my way to a village called Mithra and…" The Witch paused, as if she were contemplating something. Then she continued, "I got separated from the person I was traveling with."

"Oh," Lisette said, "I'm actually from Mithra."

"Really?!" The witch said. Her voice was filled with conviction, almost as if she were determined to do something. She looked almost excited about this… It certainly was a bit different than what Lisette had thought her to be like.

"Yeah…" Lisette said. She paused, putting her hand to her chin in contemplation, "I could take you there if you'd like?"

"I give you my thanks," The Witch courtsied

"Oh, actually first can I ask you something?"

"Hmmm?" The Witch tilted her head slightly.

"Aren't you… A bit cold?"

"Huh?" The Witch looked at her, confused.

"Sorry," Lisette blushed, looking away from the Witch, "It's just… Your outfit…"

"Oh…" the Witch paused, "Uh… No, no I'm not cold."

"Really?" Lisette was shocked, "But it looks like you'd be—"

"I am not cold." The Witch said firmly.

"Alright…" Lisette said, she didn't quite believe the girl, but if she said so… "So, let's go to the village shall we?"

"Yes… Let us—"

A sudden scream echoed throughout the clearing.

"Huh…?"

"Damn it!" The Witch shouted. She gripped her spear tightly in her hand, "You stay here, it won't be safe!"

"Huh?!"

The space around the Witch shattered as if it were made of glass. It reformed almost immediately after, pulling the shards back into its original form. And the Witch was gone, almost as if she hadn't been there in the first place.

That scream… It came from the village didn't it…

Before she knew it she was running toward the village. She needed to get there.

She made her way back through the forest. She shoved the branches out of her way, her feet barely touched the ground.

And then she saw the village.

"What… Is this…?"

A sickeningly sweet smell filled her nostrils as soon as she saw it. A chorus of screams filled her ears. The village was up in flames.

"Mom!" Lisette shouted. She needed to get to there. She took off running, her feet barely hitting the ground. She entered the village.

* * *

 **Victory Conditions: Get to Lisette's home**

 **Defeat Conditions: Lisette is defeated**

 **Mission Start**

* * *

There was only on real way to describe how the village was. It was Hell. All around her buildings burned, the wood crackling as it burned, broke, and fell. The sound of searing flesh filled her ears and the smell filled her nostrils. Then came the screams, people pleading for help, for someone to save them, screams of terror, screams of pain. Lisette tried her best to ignore them as she ran through the streets. She needed to get to her mother.

Something slammed into her. Hard. She fell onto the dirt pavement.

Lisette gripped her aching side, and looked to see what had attacked her.

It was a wolf. One of those wolves she saw in the forest.

Damn it. Why was it here.

Lisette's eyes widened. She didn't have a weapon.

She heard shuffling from behind her.

Lisette quickly glanced backward and…

Nope. No. She wasn't going to think about that.

This was bad. Really, really bad.

The wolf crouched down.

What could she do…

The shuffling sounded closer now.

She couldn't do anything.

Lisette closed her eyes. Hopefully her mom had gotten out safe.

"Haaa!"

She heard a horrible fleshy sound before a whimper.

Lisette opened her eyes. A spear had pierced the wolf through the head, pinning it to the ground.

The space next to Lisette shattered like glass. And then it reformed, almost as if it had never been broken in the first place. The Witch was now standing next to her.

She looked down to where Lisette was sitting, a look of disapproval on her face, "I thought I told you to stay put!"

"Sorry…" Lisette rose to her feet and looked the Witch in the eyes, "But I need to find my mom."

"Your mother…" The girl shook her head, "Of course you do… Whatever, I'll help you out." She said pulling her spear out from the wolf.

"Thank you…"

"No need, I'll fight off these… _things_ , you get to your house… Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, just focus on getting to your mother."

Lisette nodded, before turning around and continuing to run through the streets of the burning village. The Witch ran alongside her, scanning the area in front of them. The thick smoke made it hard for her to see what was in front of them, and her eyes began to water. She quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeves and continued to look at what was in front of them.

They ran into the open street, where there was three of the mutated wolves prowling about… They moved in a uncanny fashion, occasionally limping across the ground. Sometimes they would start to fall to the ground before forcibly being pulled up to an upright position; it was almost as if someone suddenly pulled an invisible string attached to them.

And the were together with… A person?

No, that wasn't a person.

It was one of those _things_ Lisette had seen behind her. It had strange bone-like protrusions sticking out in a circle formation from its chest, it looked like a second mouth.

A blood-like liquid dripped from the inside of the formation. At first glance it almost seemed as if it had eaten some unfortunate victim… but that wasn't it. It looked like it was…creating the liquid itself.

It turned to look at her with its blood red eyes. It grinned. It had a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. A cold wave of fear coursed through her veins and she froze.

"Keep going…" The Witch said quietly, placing her hand reassuringly on Lisette's shoulder. Lisette felt her body relax slightly, "I'll take care of them."

"A-alright…" Lisette steeled herself. And she ran forward.

One of the wolves lunged at her, but a sphere of dark energy surrounded it and knocked it away. It crashed into the ground next to another one of the wolves.

The spear flew past Lisette's head and embedded itself in the head of that wolf. A portal appeared above it and the Witch fell from it, picking her spear back up, and quickly stabbing behind her, piercing a second wolf in one fluid strike.

Lisette weaved past the remaining wolf and the _humanoid one_. She was at the bottom of the slope that lead up to her home.

She heard the sound of shattered glass next to her. Then, she felt someone's hand on her shoulder.

"Your house is that one right?" The Witch asked, pointing at the house at the top of the hill.

Lisette nodded.

"Okay, this might be a bit disorienting."

"Huh—" The world shattered all around her, and she fell. It was like someone had broken the ice on a frozen lake and had pushed her through.

And then, the world reformed. She was pulled to the top of that lake, the ice coming back together as if it weren't broken in the first place. Lisette stood in front of her door, and shoved it open.

"Mom!" Lisette yelled, running into the dining room. There her mother was on the ground, and… right in front of her was one of the humanoid _things_.

"Lisette?!" Rosa's expression softened, before she looked at Lisette and yelled, "Get out of here!"

But Lisette was already running forward. She body slammed the _thing_ with all her might, causing it to stagger slightly.

The _thing_ quickly countered, knocking Lisette onto the wall to the left of her mother.

Then, it began to walk towards her.

Lisette sat there, paralyzed with fear as it slowly creeped toward her.

It slowly pulled its arm backward, a strange liquid came out from its skin and formed a long pointed tip.

Lisette closed her eyes.

And it thrust its arm forward.

Lisette fell to the ground. A scream echoed through the building. Someone had pushed her out of the way.

She opened her eyes.

There, her mother was in front of her, skewered through the side.

" _Mom!_ " Lisette screamed…

And then, the arm that had stabbed her mother turn back into liquid and it was then Lisette realized.

That was the same liquid that she had seen in the forest.

And then, it happened just like it did in the forest. The liquid went in through her mother's open wound.

No. No no no no.

Her mother fell to the ground, her body convulsing on the ground. And then… It was quiet… Before her mother suddenly stood up, like a puppet that had been picked up by its strings. And then… No, she didn't want to see this.

She. Did. Not. Want. To. See. This.

But her eyes stayed open.

A horrible ripping noise echoed through the house. Bone-like structures pierced through her mother's chest. And then there was a disgusting cracking sound, as her mother's head snapped unnaturally into a straight up position. Her eyes flew open, and the blood red color seeped into her eyes. And then, she smiled. A smile that stretched far too wide to be natural.

Lisette closed her eyes… This had to be a dream. Yes, just a bad dream that she was still having… Any second now she'd wake up in her bed. Wake up. _Wake up._ **Wake up.** _**Wake up!**_

 _But alas, this isn't a dream_

What?

What was that voice…

Lisette slowly opened her eyes.

It was as if time itself had stopped. The figures of her mother and the other mutated human had disappeared, leaving her alone in the empty dining room. All of the screaming outside had stopped entirely.

It was completely silent.

And then she heard footsteps.

They came from the hallway that lead into the dining room and echoed throughout the empty house.

And then, from the darkness of the hallway emerged a woman. She wore a white mantle with a light blue underside. She had short blue hair, the same shade as the underside of her mantle, and she had dark red eyes.

" _I must say, I didn't expect to see you of all people in here."_

"...Huh?" Lisette tilted her head questioningly, "Who… Are you?"

The woman shook her head.

" _Well, whatever, I'm here to tell you something…"_

The woman paced back and forth in the room, making gestured with her cane.

" _Right now, I will give you two options… You can pick whichever one suits your fancy."_

The woman stopped, placing her can down in front of her.

" _Do you want to live, or do you want to die."_

"What?" Lisette looked at her, "What kind of question is that?"

" _Well I already knew your answer to that question… You made a promise a long time ago didn't you?"_

"A… Promise?" Her head began to ache.

" _So, let me ask you this instead… Do you want power?"_

"What do you mean…?"

" _The power to end this nightmare, do you wish for it?"_

"The power to end this… Nightmare?"

" _Yes. The power to stop this, all of this."_

"But…" Lisette let her arm fall to her side, "I can't do anything…You're probably better off asking someone else…"

" _But I am not asking someone else… I am asking_ _ **you**_ _Lisette. What do_ _ **you**_ _want?"_

"I…" Lisette stared into the woman's eyes, her eyes filled with determination, "Yes… I want the power to end this, all of this! Give me the power to end this nightmare!"

The woman smiled.

" _Good answer…"_

The woman picked up her cane, and walked over to where Lisette was laying, and she pushed Lisette's pendant with her cane.

The pendant emitted a powerful blue glow, and sunk into Lisette's chest. Light exploded outward, enveloping the area all around them.

" _Now go, Witch of Light! Show me what your story looks like!"_

* * *

The Witch was forced to close her eyes, an explosion of light had erupted from behind her.

Damn it… The girl's house was destroyed. That must've been where the explosion had come from.

Then she noticed, the monsters around her were stuck in a sort of daze. They must've been blinded by the light that had came from the explosion.

Perfect.

The girl put her hands to her chest, and sang. It was the same song she had sang in the forest. As she sang the song, the world seemed to slow, crystals began to grow from the ground all around her. The glowing crystals reflected the moonlight into a single blue hue, and slowly began to encase all of the creatures.

And then it was done… And the world was silent.

The girl turned around and started to walk up the hill… Just what had caused that explosion.

She reached the top of the hill. There were two crystalized beings there, and a single girl lay there on the ground, beneath the rubble.

It was the girl she had met in the forest but… Her outfit had changed. She was wearing a yellow beret on her head, with a flower pin accessory attached to it the front left of it. She had a white shirt with no sleeves, and had fingerless gloves that ended just before her elbows, as well as yellow cuffs at her wrists.

Instead of the white skirt she had been wearing, the girl was now wearing a knee-length yellow flared skirt. The only part of her outfit that hadn't changed at all were her brown boots.

And lying next to her on the ground was an ornate staff with a yellow star shaped piece on the top.

"This is…" She heard footsteps behind her, "Is that you Hrodulf?"

"Yes," Hrodulf said, "You were taking a long time, so I decided to check, how was it?"

"Got here too late… Again…" The Witch looked down, a guilty expression on her face, "But there was one survivor."

"A survivor?" Hrodulf asked.

"Yeah… And we're going to take her with us." The Witch said.

"Is that really okay… Your majesty?"

"Of course," Anastasia said, opening a portal next to her that lead into the carriage, "We need to protect any survivors and… I have reason to believe that this girl has… Become a Witch."


	3. Chapter One: The Royal Capital

" _Hey Lisette…"_

" _Hmm?"_

" _I wanted to ask you a question?"_

" _What is it?"_

" _Those stories you like reading… Why are they all so sad?"_

" _Sad…? I don't know what you mean? I don't think they're sad at all."_

" _But they are sad! I mean… Everyone in them suffers so much… Why do you like reading them?"_

" _Hmmm, well when you put it that way… I'm not sure why… It's just…"_

" _It's just what?"_

" _Let me think about it. I need to think about it more…And once I figure it out…_

" _That's when I'll give you my answer."_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Royal Capital**

 **Lisette's Diary:** _(No entries)_

* * *

Lisette awoke to the sound of horse hooves hitting the ground. Her head felt all fuzzy, like it was full of static. Lisette rubbed her eyes.

"I see you're awake," came a voice across from her. It was the Witch from yesterday.

"Ngh… Where am I?" Lisette asked.

"We're on our way to the Royal Capital, Lambert," The Witch said, "Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me, but first we should start with introductions."

"Oh yeah… I never told you my name did I…? I'm Lisette nice to meet you."

"That's a nice name…" The Witch paused, "I am Anastasia, the pleasure is all mine."

"Anastasia…" Where had she heard that name before… Wait… That was the same name as…

Lisette's eyes widened. The realization slowly dawning on her.

Anastasia smiled.

"Y-Y-You're…"

"Indeed."

Lisette's face turned beet red. Oh jeez… She'd been with the Queen the whole time.

Anastasia giggled, "I am surprised it took you this long to realize."

Lisette blushed, "S-Sorry…"

Anastasia giggled once more, "No need to apologize… It was honestly quite refreshing…"

"B-but…"

"It is alright… More importantly, you must have a lot of questions."

"Questions…?" Lisette asked, tilting her head slightly.

"You know…" Anastasia paused, before she continued in a softer voice, "About the village?"

The atmosphere suddenly felt suffocating. It was as if she was suddenly submerged in water, searching for a single pocket of air… And finding nothing.

"Sorry…" Anastasia said, placing her hand on Lisette's hand, "I am sure you did not want to think about that just yet."

"No, no," Lisette waved her hands in front of her, "It's fine… I mean… It was gonna come up eventually…"

"Still, I must apologize… Here, let us talk about something else for now," Anastasia said, turning around. She pulled out an ornate staff with a yellow star piece at the top, "I believe this is yours."

"...Huh?" Lisette looked at her questioningly, "But… I don't own anything like that…"

"Really?" Anastasia said, "It was lying next you on the ground, almost as if you had dropped it when you passed out."

"Yeah…" Lisette rubbed the back of her head, "I've never seen it before…"

"I see… And I assume you do not know about where those clothes you are wearing came from as well?"

"Clothes?" Lisette asked. Then she noticed that she was wearing fingerless gloves… She hadn't been wearing those before… And there was a slight weight on her head that hadn't been there before, "What… Is this?"

"I thought this might be the case…" Anastasia closed her eyes and placed her hands on her lap, "Lisette…"

"Yes?"

"I believe… That you have become a Witch."

"...What?"

The rocking of the carriage stopped.

"Your Majesty, we have arrived," came a gruff voice from outside.

"Alright…" Anastasia said, standing up, "We will continue this conversation when we are inside." She extended her hand out to Lisette.

"Al...right…" Lisette took her hand and was pulled to her feet.

Immediately as she opened the door, Lisette was forced to squint her eyes. The sunlight was blinding. Eventually, Lisette was able to open her eyes and was greeted with a magnificent sight.

"Whoa…"

The castle was absolutely enormous, way larger than anything she had ever seen before. It towered above her, and she couldn't even see the top as it faded into the distance. Even the pathway leading to the entrance was way bigger than she thought it'd be. Lisette could only stand there in awe of all of it.

She felt a tug on her arm.

"Come on, let us go inside," Anastasia said. Then, she turned to face the man that had been driving them, "Hrodulf, tell Elmar that I will be bringing this girl into the castle for a short while."

"As you wish," said the man standing outside of the carriage.

"Follow me," Anastasia said, pulling Lisette's arm.

Lisette followed behind Anastasia. She passed through the rooms of the castle like a ghost. It didn't feel real. It didn't feel like she was here. It almost felt like a dream…as if she would wake back up in the village at any moment, to find that nothing had happened, and it had all just been a bad dream.

But it wasn't a dream. It was all too real to be one. The feeling of the cold air in the palace against her skin, the bright rays of sunlight that she had been greeted with outside, the sounds of her feet hitting the ground, all of it was real.

Eventually the queen had brought her out into a courtyard. It wasn't that big, at least compared to the rest of the palace, but it felt less… intimidating than the rest of the castle had. Warm sunlight fell upon the beds of vibrant flowers within it. And within the shade of two trees there was a white table.

The table wasn't really anything remarkable. It was just a regular white round table. The queen brought her over to it and pulled out a chair, beckoning her to sit.

Lisette obliged, and sat down in the chair.

Anastasia sat down in the chair across from her. A moment of silence passed over them, as the sat staring at one another.

And then, Anastasia spoke her voice cutting through the atmosphere.

"The weather is nice today, is it not?"

"Huh?" Lisette was taken aback by the sudden question, "Y-yes I guess it is…"

"It is not everyday you have such nice weather…" Anastasia said, looking longingly into the distance, "These days are the kind one should treasure…"

"Uh…" Lisette wasn't sure how to respond.

"Sorry," Anastasia shook her head, "I was just musing. Would you like some tea? I can get one of my servants to get you some."

"Ummm…" Lisette paused, putting her hand to her chin in contemplation, "No thank you… At least… Not right now."

"I see… Well then, I am sure you have many questions, shall we continue our conversation from earlier?"

"A-alright… Earlier you said that I had become a Witch…"

"Yes, that is correct."

"May I ask a question, Your Majesty? Just what is a Witch… What am I?"

"Witches are ones who have been chosen by the Qualia."

"Qualia…?" Lisette tilted her head slightly.

"On this continent, there exist jewels called Qualia. There are five in total: Water, Wind, Fire, Earth, and Time."

"That's all of them?" Lisette asked.

"Hmm?" Anastasia looked at Lisette curiously, "What makes you ask that?"

"Sorry," Lisette shook her head, "It's nothing I think, continue."

"Alright…" Anastasia took a deep breath, before continuing, "By absorbing a Qualia into her body, a girl gains the power of song, or magic, and becomes a Witch."

"Then… How did I become one…? I didn't—"

"I can only theorize that your pendant was the Qualia," Anastasia said cutting her off.

"My… Pendant…?" Lisette grasped the area where it usually was. There was nothing there.

"Continuing on, Qualia reside in highly empathetic girls. If a girl loses her empathy, that Qualia will search for another. The Qualia have passed through generations in this manner…"

Anastasia paused, looking Lisette in the eyes.

"However, there is one Qualia that has not been seen in a long time, the Water Qualia. I believe you have become the—"

"...Light…" Lisette said quietly.

Anastasia's expression became puzzled, "I'm sorry, could you say that again?"

"That lady called me the Witch of Light…"

"What do you mean?!" Anastasia said, slamming her hands against the table, and jerking to her feet.

Lisette flinched, "Um! Right before I passed out… There was a strange lady who appeared…" Lisette paused, seeing something light up in Anastasia's eyes, "And… She called me the Witch of Light…"

"I see…!" There was a child-like enthusiasm to her movements as she put her hand to her chin, "Now that's interesting… Because, it is unheard of for a Light Witch to exist… ! Though it's true that your pendant didn't look like any of the recorded Qualia, much less what the Water Qualia is supposed to look like…!"

"Um…"

"I was wondering why that pendant would've made her into the Water Witch… I see, I see!"

"Um…"

"And that's very interesting… Why would a new Witch appear now…?! I wonder…"

"Um…!"

Anastasia jumped slightly. She seemed to just remember that Lisette was still here. Anastasia blushed, before sitting back down in her chair. She cleared her throat.

"My apologies… I got a bit carried away there," Anastasia looked away, she didn't seem to want to look Lisette in the eyes, "Before we continue though, I must confirm that you are indeed a Witch."

"...What do you mean…?"

Anastasia took a deep breath, before turning to Lisette, "I would like you to sing…"

"Sing…? I can't… I don't know how…"

"Then I will tell you how I do it," Anastasia said, "Close your eyes."

"O-okay…" Lisette closed her eyes.

"Take a deep breath and… Empty the depths of your heart…"

Lisette put her hands on her chest and took a deep breath.

And then…

 _(Play: Stella Glow Ost - Song of Safety)_

Words flowed from her mouth like they were water in a stream. A beautiful sound filled her ears, it was like the one she heard in the forest, but different… And it was her voice that made it, that sang it.

And then it suddenly came to a halt. It was as if chains had wrapped around her body and were constricting her breath. Next thing she knew she was on the ground in a coughing fit. She tasted the metallic taste of blood at the back of her throat.

"A-Are you okay?" Anastasia asked in a worried voice.

"I…" Lisette coughed again, "I knew it… It's impossible for me…"

"But you were able to sing…Even if it was just for a little bit," Anastasia said, extending her hand out to Lisette, "And that is enough proof to the fact that you are a Witch."

Lisette took her hand and was pulled to her feet. The queen helped her back into the chair she had been sitting in.

"Now, there is one last matter I'd like to discuss with you," Anastasia took a deep breath, and locked eyes with Lisette, "And that is what happened to your village."

Images from the other night flashed before Lisette's eyes. The smell of the fire that had raged through the village, the sounds familiar voices screaming in pain, the horror of watching her mother turn into one of those monsters in front of her. A wave of nausea passed over her and her vision swam.

 _She heard the faint sound of rushing water around her._

Lisette felt a light touch on her hand, and was pulled out from her thoughts.

"My apologies," Anastasia said in a gentle voice, "Would you like me to continue? Or we could hold off for now."

"No… I'm fine," Lisette's voice sounded hoarse, "Please continue…"

"Alright then…" Anastasia paused and took a deep breath, "There… Have been incidents like it happening all around this kingdom…"

"Huh…?"

"These strange creatures have appeared all throughout this kingdom, decimating villages wherever they go… It all started four years ago…"

"Four years ago…" Lisette absentmindedly grasped the area where her pendant would have been.

"Yes…Four years ago there were rumors that a village had been destroyed by these strange creatures, who seemed to infect anything they killed…" Anastasia sighed, "At the time nobody paid it much heed…But then the reports kept piling up about these happenings from many places around the kingdom…And eventually it became less and less likely to just be a rumor…"

Anastasia gazed into the distance, a melancholy look in her eyes, "And so, I decided to start investigating into these incidents… Which leads me to my next request for you."

"Huh?"

"I would like to ask if you would be willing to join my guard."

"Your…guard?" Lisette asked.

"Yes," Anastasia said, "A group of knights I formed to protect me as I look into these strange incidents…"

"But...Why?"

"Why? Hmmm, that's a good question…" Anastasia closed her eyes, humming in contemplation, "I guess…It's because I would like to be the one to teach you about what being a Witch is like. So, would you like to join? If you come with us maybe you'll be able to figure out what exactly happened to your village as well, and maybe help find a way to reverse it."

"I…" Lisette paused. She wanted to take the offer. She really did… And yet…

"I'm sorry," Lisette said with a reluctant expression, "I… I don't think that I can… I'm not a knight… And I just became a Witch a day ago… I'd probably end up holding you back instead of helping… I'm not even sure if I can fight…"

"I see…" The queen frowned slightly, "Well, I won't force you to do anything… If you ever change your mind come talk to me… I'll be glad to let you join." The queen stood up, offering her hand to Lisette, "There's one question I have for you Lisette."

Lisette took the queen's hand and was pulled to her feet, "Yeah?"

"You will be needing a place to stay, am I right?" the queen asked.

"Oh…" She hadn't thought about that. It was true though… After all…She didn't have a place to go back to anymore…

Lisette nodded silently.

"If you'd like, I could perhaps find you a place to stay for now," Anastasia said.

"..." Lisette stared at the ground, "Is that really okay?"

"Of course."

"Alright…" Lisette said, looking the queen in the eyes, "Could I ask you one more question?"

"Go ahead."

"You mentioned before that there were five Qualia in total, one for each Witch…I want to know…" Lisette paused, taking a deep breath, "Which… Witch are you?"

"I am…" Anastasia smiled, "The Time Witch."

* * *

The place Lisette was brought to was near the outskirts of the city. It wasn't big by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't small either. It just looked like an unremarkable house.

The queen cleared her throat, "Here is where you'll be staying, at least until we figure out if there is a way to reverse whatever has been going on in this kingdom. It's not very big but it should be fine, right?"

"Yeah…" Lisette said, "Thank you."

"No need, now I will show you what it looks like on the inside," Anastasia said, pulling Lisette by the arm.

As soon as she laid eyes on the inside of the home, there was just one way she could describe what it looked like.

It was a mess.

Papers were strewn all over, there were so many of them that she could barely see the floor. Books were scattered upon the various tables in half open states and some of them were even on the floor. There seemed to be a fine layer of dust covering everything as well.

"Uh…" Lisette turned to Anastasia with a questioning look, "What is this?"

Anastasia blushed, "Sorry… I have been using this place as a study for a while, I'll clean this place up, you go explore the city."

"No, no, I'll help you clean up," Lisette said, leaning over and picking up some of the papers.

"No, I am fine," Anastasia said insistently, "I made this mess, and I will clean it up… You can go explore the city."

"But…"

"Please," the queen said in a forceful voice, "I will meet with you after I finish, but for now I want you to just go around and explore the city on your own."

"Alright," Lisette said in a resigned voice.

She set papers in her hands back down on the ground, and headed out of the house.

Outside the air felt cold, even though the skies were clear and the sun was shining. What a weird feeling. It was almost funny. Lisette walked through the streets of Lambert, the capital was so huge. It was way bigger than her village. And it was quite impressive too, the way everything seemed to glow in the light of the sun.

She passed by several people as she walked. Everyone seemed so happy, just talking among themselves and having fun…

She felt a pang of loneliness pass right through her. The feeling she had felt when she had tried to sing was back, the feeling of chains wrapped around her.

And then the world fell silent. Suddenly the buzz of conversation had disappeared. The people who had been walking past her were no longer there.

"What's… going on…?"

She heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Lisette turned around.

"So we meet again, little Witch," It was that lady who she had met back in the village.

"It's you…" Lisette looked at her with a surprised expression.

"Indeed," She said, "I'd like to give you something, a gift of sorts."

"Who are you…?" Lisette asked.

"Oh," The lady smiled, "You may call me, Sense Data."

"Sense… Data…" Lisette tilted her head curiously, "That's a weird name."

"Here, take this," Sense Data said, holding out her hand. In it there was a rusted pocket watch, with an ornate design, "My apologies that it is not in the best of conditions, the other has already been given away…"

"What… is it?"

"It's a Destiny Clock, it tells the time of your destiny…it's a magical item that will guide you."

"It sounds…Kinda fishy…But you did save me back there so…" Lisette tentatively took the Destiny Clock from her.

"If I may, I would like to give you some advice," Sense Data said, "Be sure to create bonds with those around you, even those who you don't know as well…A small light might just be able to illuminate that great darkness."

"May I ask you a question?"

"Yes, you may."

"Why are you telling me all of this, and what are you? How did you show up back in Mithra, why are you here now?"

Sense Data smiled, "I'll go back to observing now."

"What, wait answer my—"

"Now now, I never said I would be able to answer your question, little Witch."

"But—"

And she was gone. The buzz of conversations returned, as did the myriads of people.

Lisette opened the destiny clock. The inside of it looked similar to a regular clock, but there was only one hand and there were no numbers. Instead there were twelve hollow glass circles, though only one of them had a color in it, the one at the very top was colored light blue. "Make bonds, huh?"

She closed it again, putting it into her skirt pocket. And then, she heard a voice.

"There you are," It was the queen's voice.

"Oh, you finished already Your Majesty?"

"Yeah," said the queen, "Come now, I'll show you around the city."

"Alright," Lisette said.

* * *

"Excuse me…" Lisette said quietly as she opened the door to the store.

"Welcome!" Came a cheerful voice. Behind the counter there was a young woman with short brown hair and bright blue eyes. She wore somewhat formal a black and white long sleeved dress. "Oh, I haven't seen you around before...Are you a new knight?"

"No, no…" Lisette shook her head, "I was just told to come here by a person I know."

"Oh, huh," The woman said, "That's weird, I didn't think there'd be that many people who would recommend this place… Anyway, I'm Bianca. I work here part-time."

"Nice to meet you, I'm—" Lisette stopped, "Wait… You said you work here part-time?"

"Yeah."

"But…" Lisette put her hand to her chin, "Isn't this shop called, 'Bianca's Armory'?"

"Oh that," Bianca smiled, "The owner's out travelling the world, so I'm basically running the place. I decided I might as well change the name while I was at it!"

"I-I see…"

"Yep! So, see anything you like?" Bianca said gesturing toward the tables, "We've got everything here, weapons, armors, accessories, items…"

Lisette looked at the tables around her. Bianca was right, there was just about everything she could imagine here. They were lined with a myriad of different items, ranging from swords, spears, and staffs to bows, arrows, and guns, to various armors, dresses and jewelry, to herbs and just about any type of medicine.

"Woah…"

"Yeah, pretty cool right?" Bianca said, "Well take your time, if you see anything you like maybe buy it!"

"A-Alright," Lisette said, humming to herself as she looked over the items.

While the assortment of items was vast… there really wasn't anything that really actually interested her here. She didn't really care for the weaponry, she didn't really have any use for it. While she did like accessories, none of the ones on display really called out to her. There just… Wasn't anything she really wanted to buy here.

Lisette sighed. She turned around, ready to leave the store when something caught her eye. It was a small, dark blue notebook, with a golden design embroidered into it.

"Um…" Lisette said.

"Oh! You found something you want?" Bianca said excitedly.

"Yeah…" Lisette said picking up the notebook she found and holding it up, "How much for this?"

"Oh, that?" Bianca leaned over the counter, "Let me see it…"

"Here," Lisette said handing the book to her.

"Hmmm…" Bianca examined the notebook, "Huh, that's funny, we just had that sold to us."

"Really?" Lisette asked.

"Yeah… some girl sold it to us, she said she didn't need it anymore," Bianca said handing it back to Lisette, "Anyway that'll be 250G"

Lisette fished in her pockets for the money the queen had given her for spending. Eventually she pulled out enough coins to buy the book.

"Here," She said, handing the coins to Bianca.

"Thank you!" Bianca said taking the coins and counting them, "Yep, that's enough money… The notebook is all yours miss."

"Thank you…"

"Will that be all?"

"Yeah," Lisette said picking up the notebook, "That'll be all."

"Alright, please come again!"

* * *

"Sorry for the wait," Lisette said as she exited to store.

"It is alright," the queen said, "Shall we get going now?"

"Sure!"

"Alright then, follow me…" The queen started before she suddenly stopped, "Oh… What did you buy?"

"Oh this?" Lisette said, making a small gesture with the notebook, "Just a notebook I found, why?"

The queen made an intrigued expression. There was a glint of curiosity in her eyes. Then, she shook her head.

"It's probably nothing…" She muttered under her breath.

"Hmm? What was that?"

"Nothing, now shall we continue?"

"Yeah…"

After that they didn't talk much. They walked through the city streets in silence… Well not exactly the streets, since the queen was leading her through what seemed to be relatively unpopulated alleyways…

' _Huh, I guess she doesn't want to be seen,'_ Lisette thought to herself as they walked. Well it made sense, seeing as she was probably the most recognizable person to people who lived in the capital.

And so they continued walking, their footsteps echoing throughout the alleys…

Eventually the queen stopped.

"We're here," She said.

They stood in front of a large tower that seemed to pierce the very skies themselves. It was impressive and yet there was a sad feeling to it, almost as if someone were crying.

"What is this?" Lisette asked, glancing at the queen.

Anastasia looked down, a sad expression forming on her face, "This… Is the treatment facility… For all those affected by this… _plague_."

"You don't mean…"

"Yes, the very same plague that affected your village…" Anastasia turned to face Lisette, "Follow me inside…"

Lisette silently nodded and walked into the treatment facility.

It was dark. And the inside was so expansive... The only lighting came from faint lamps throughout the area. It was so quiet too… the only sound she heard was the echoes of someone crying in the distance… And it echoed on and on, all throughout the hall. The facility had so many levels, connected by stairs that seemed to stretch on and on, as if they had no end at all.

It felt almost labyrinthian, the way everything seemed to wrap around and around, so many floors, so many places to get lost.

Lisette shuddered at the thought, getting lost here… In this place where even the air was so thick it was almost suffocating. Where she had to take gulps of air to even breath. In this place where she could barely see at all…

And all throughout the building, there were what seemed like crystal formations. They were separated from the main area by metal fencing. The crystals seemed to dimly glow in the dark, a faint blue light radiating off of each.

Upon closer inspection, Lisette realized something… Those weren't crystals, they looked like those mutated humans she had seen back in her village, except encased in some sort of gem.

"What… Is this…?"

"That is…" Anastasia paused, "The result of my power…"

"Your… Power?"

"Yes…" Anastasia looked Lisette in the eyes, "As the Time Witch, I have the power to encase people in these… Crystals… Think of it as a sort of stasis…"

"Where's my mom?! And the rest of the village too?!"

"Come with me," Anastasia said, grabbing Lisette's hand and walking her over to a group of crystalized people, "Here is where all of the villagers from Mithra should be located."

"They all look like they're in so much pain…!" Lisette stopped. She frantically scanned over all of the frozen people one by one… She needed to find _her_. No that wasn't it, not that one either, Lisette searched and searched... And then she found her…

Lisette's chest tightened as soon as she saw her, and she clutched at her shirt. Suddenly it felt like a dam burst inside her chest and her tears fell out. Lisette fell to her knees sobbing, "Mom…!"

"This is all we can do for them now…" Anastasia said solemnly, "All I can hope is that this can somewhat ease their pain…"

"Why…" Lisette sobbed, her voice trembling, "Why is this all happening… Why do so many people have to suffer like this!" Her hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

Anastasia looked down at the crying girl next to her… After all this time, she still didn't know how to console someone when they were like this.

"I don't quite have an answer for why all of this is happening, but…" At the sound of her voice, Lisette turned to face the queen. The queen placed a hand on her chest, before she spoke once more, "I will find a way to reverse this, and none of these people will suffer from this ever again…"

As she spoke these words Lisette noticed something strange. It looked as if there were chains, wrapped around the queen's body. No, they weren't just wrapped around her body, they were piercing into her, they pierced through her neck, her wrists, her feet, and her heart.

It looked… Like she was in a lot of pain.

And then they disappeared… All of them, as if they had never even existed. Lisette blinked… What… Was that…?

It might've been her imagination but… It didn't feel like it was… And yet, there was no way that they were real… Chains didn't just _appear_ on someone like that.

The queen crouched down, holding out a handkerchief to Lisette, "Use it to dry your tears."

"Thanks," Lisette said, wiping her tears with the handkerchief, "I… I'm alright now…Sorry for worrying you."

Lisette slowly began to stand up. She still felt the lump in her throat, and her eyes were still burning. Her legs felt weak, she almost fell back down to her knees, when the queen grabbed hold of her hand.

"Shall I bring you back to the house?" The queen asked her.

"Yes…" Lisette looked to the ground with shame, "Sorry about this…"

"There is no need to apologize," The queen said.

And the two of them walked out of the treatment center, their footsteps echoing throughout the halls.

* * *

It was nighttime when they got back to the house. The queen had departed, leaving Lisette by herself. The house was quiet, and the inside was a far cry from how it had been. Everything had been neatly cleaned up, and there wasn't a single paper left on the ground.

Lisette sighed. She'd been actually hoping there was something still lying around. She liked doing housework, since it calmed her down. Oh whatever. She felt… really tired. It was probably from all the crying. Today had been very eventful. She was still sorting out her thoughts about it, but it wasn't how she had expected these days to go… It wasn't how she expected her life to go. God really hated her didn't she.

She deserved it though.

Lisette sighed as she fell back against her bed. Something fell out of her pocket. Lisette turned to look. It was the book she had purchased earlier. She had completely forgotten about it.

Lisette sat up, and picked up the book. Slowly she opened it. On the first page there was writing. The handwriting looked very clean and pristine, but… toward the end it got messy, like the writer had suddenly began violently shaking. It read:

 _This is probably the only thing I will write in this book. It is more for my own peace of mind than anything. Construction is finally complete, all that's left is to just finish the seal. It's funny, to think everything was going so well before that day. The ****ps** was over, we'd won, it was peaceful… Why couldn't it just stay like that. Why did she have to ***. Why did it have to *** **** ****. The voice in my head is still here, it's been here since she died… But I won't listen to you, no matter how much you scream. I'll stop writing now, she gets louder the more I delay._

 _***n**s**_

Just what was this? Lisette wondered, it looked like someone's final words but what was it talking about? Some of the words were illegible too, but even if they weren't she felt like she'd have a hard time figuring out what it actually meant.

Lisette shook her head, maybe the next page would shed more light onto this. It didn't. Instead there was a different handwriting on this one. It looked very messy.

 _I guess I should start writing in here? Is that how this works? There were words on the other page, and a quill right next to this book, so I'm supposed to write in here like this right? I don't really see why, but it seems fun so I'll do it. I don't really think big sis knows about this book, or this room in general. I'll tell her about it later. If anything this'll be a good way to kill time while we're down here. I'll just write about anything interesting that happens._

There wasn't a signature after this one. Honestly, it was completely different than the previous one, it was just someone's musings about finding this book. They didn't even really talk about what was on the previous page. Lisette sighed, before she turned the page. There seemed to be several pages that were ripped out. Eventually she came to the next full page. It read:

 _Today big sis asked me something weird. She asked me if I was happy. I said yes, and she said that everyone in this world wants to be happy, but that there are too many painful things for anyone to be truly happy. And then she told me that she was trying to end it, to remove all of the suffering and make a world that's truly happy. I thought it sounded beautiful, but then big sis asked me another question. Why is it that ************************************... I don't know how to answer that… I'm still thinking about it, even now._

There was a small section that was unreadable in this entry. Which was a shame, it seemed important. Lisette turned the page, there was a big section of ripped out pages before she got to the final entry. It read:

 _As much as I hate to say it, I don't really have a need to keep this book with me anymore. It doesn't really feel right to keep writing in here, everything I wrote about spending time with my sister are gone now, though those memories will stay in my heart forever. It still doesn't feel right for me to write in this without those pages though._

 _To the next owner, I have a request: Could you write your own story in here? I know it sounds weird, heck I even thought it was weird when that lady who gave me the clock said it, "What will your story be?" or something like that. I'm not asking because she told me to though. Ever since we left that place, I've read so many stories. I think I'm starting to understand what that girl meant, but I'm still learning, so I would like you to write in here. I want you to write your story, that is my wish._

 _L******_

The person's signature was illegible. After this page there were many blank pages left in the diary.

"I see," Lisette said, setting the book down, "You'd probably not want to read mine though… I'd probably just end up disappointing you… I'm sorry."

Lisette laid back down in her bed and closed her eyes. And her mind drifted into the realms of dreams.

* * *

The light of the broken moon illuminated the planes below, covering them in a pale light. A girl walked through these planes, towards the volcanos just beyond. She wore a mask that covered the upper half of her face, and utop her head sat a crown, with two strings with small beads attached to it.

Her long blue hair flowed behind her like a stream of water as she moved. She had a black puff sleeve dress with a blue top, which seemed to glow in the darkness.

As she walked, she heard the sounds of rustling grass all around her. It seemed like she was being surrounded. And though she noticed this she kept walking anyway. It was like she wasn't even worried about them.

"Well, what do we got here?" The leader of the bandits said in a gruff voice, "It looks like we've got a good catch." He said, and the rest of the group of bandits snickered. The leader continued, "We got ya completely surrounded girly, cough up all ya got." He paused, and the rest of the bandits pointed their weapons at the girl, "Unless ya wanna die! Bwahahah!"

"Do you all mind moving?" The girl asked in an annoyed voice, "Or will I have to _make_ you."

"Make us?! Bwahaha!" The leader of the bandits laughed, "Ya think you're some kinda hotshot girly? We're the ones threatening ya, not the other way around."

The girl sighed, and a bored expression formed underneath her mask, "Fine, have it your way."

And in a flash it was over. All of the bandits laid on the ground, cuts across their chests. In the girls hands she held a beautiful ornate scythe. The gears that attached the scythe blade to the handle turned slowly, in the moonlight.

The girl smiled at her handy work, and snapped her fingers. The snap echoed throughout the planes, and as though they had been summoned by the sound of the snap, strange ethereal fires appeared near her. There was one for each of the bandits.

"Oh, we must be near the Fire Witch's domain," The girl said aloud, "Well then, enjoy!"

And the fires went into the bodies of the bandits.

* * *

"I see," Anastasia said, looking out into the distance, "So it's really starting now."

"Yes," Hrodulf said, his voice echoed throughout the quiet castle, "I've been told that there has been sightings of infected in the planes near Gohra Volcano in the east."

"It's just one thing after another," Another voice came. It was Elmar, the queen's regent, "The frequency has been increasing rapidly this past year."

"Gather my guard," said Anastasia, "We must make haste to Gohra Volcano to investigate."

"Understood," The two men said in sync, before leaving the room.

Anastasia laid down on her bed, and stared at the ceiling with a blank expression. Her eyes that had looked so alive just a moment ago, suddenly looked like they wouldn't seem out of place on a corpse.

This day would pass, and when the next day came, the first mission of the Queen's Guard would start.


End file.
